Corn-harvester.



No. 7|2,036. Patented Oct. 28, I902.

H. H. BOWERMAN.

CORN HARVESTER.

Application filed Jan. 18, 1900.\ (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1,

No. 7l2,036. I Patented Oct. 23, I902. H. H. BOWERMAN.

CORN HAHVESTER.

(Application filed Jan. 18, 1900.)

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

N0. 7|2,036. I Patented Oct. 28, I902.

H. H. BOWERMAN.

CORN HARVESTER.

(Application filed Jan. 18, 1900.) (No Model.) a Sheets-Sheet 3.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY HAMMOND BOWERMAN,'OF LORELEY, MARYLAND.

CORN-HARVESTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 712,036, dated October28, 1902. Application filed January 18, 1900. Serial No. 1,823. (Nomodel.)

of the lever F. It will thus be seen that the '1 i To all whom, it mayconcern:

Be it known that I, HARRY HAMMOND Bow- ERMAN,a citizen of the UnitedStates of America, residing at Loreley, in the county of Baltimore andState of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inCorn-Harvesters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to corn-harvesters, and more particularly to thatclass adapted to cut corn and to drop the same in piles at equaldistances apart.

The object of my invention is to providea corn-harvester which is soconstructed as to out two rows of corn at a time and to drop the samebetween the rows at equal intervals apart.

Another object of my invention is to provide a corn-harvester in whichthe working parts are unique and compact, the friction being reduced toa minimum, thus affording such an easy movement that it requires but onehorse to draw the machine.

With these objects in view my invention consists in certain details ofconstruction, arrangement, and combination of parts, all of which willbe described hereinafter.

The novel features of the invention are pointed out in the appendedclaims, which are intended to accord in their terms, spirit, and meaningwith the prior state of the art and the existing law.

In the drawings forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a topplan view. Fig. 2 is a side elevation with one of the wheels removed.Fig. 3 illustrates the trough. Fig. 4 is a detail view of the cuttingportion of the machine. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of Fig. 4, showingthe parts detached and the gearing removed.

Referring by letters to the drawings, A represents the wheels connectedby axle B,which is adapted to supportthe machinery. I Mounted in thecenter of the axle is the frame, comprising the two beams C C, bracedtogether, the forward ends of which are supported by a wheel D and areadapted to receive a crossbar for the attachment of the shafts. Journaled upon the braces between the beams are two shafts E E, theforward ends of which are provided with cogs ca, adapted to mesh withsemicircular cogsbb upon opposite sides semicircular cogs b b, which areintermediate the cogs a a and in engagement therewith, will whenoperated by the lever F cause the rack to be'dumped or set according tothe direction in which the lever is thrown. The central portions of theshafts are bent at right angles in opposite directions and are providedwith lugs c c, which engage the rear ends of the beams. The shafts arethen bent down at right angles and then bent again at right angles, withtheir free ends projecting rearwardly parallel with respect to eachother and flattened, as shown at G, the flattened portion being providedwith rods of for the reception of the stalks.

Mounted upon each side of the frame upon the axle is the cutting portionof the machine and the apparatus for conveying the stalk to withlongitudinal slots g and h, the slot g having a recess 6. The forwardend of the plate is curved up and provided with a series of notches J,adapted to straddle the stalks and to guide the plate either to theright or left, as the position of the stalk may require, and to hold thestalks in contact with the knives.

Journaled in the slot 9 at the point where the plate I ispivoted is acog K, having a bevel-cog L upon the top thereof adapted to mesh with abevel-cog M, keyed to the axle and workingthrough the notchj. The cog Kis adapted to engage and drive the cog N,

which is also journaled in the slot g on a shaft which carries a beveledcog 0 upon the top of the plate. The cog N engages and drives the cog P,which operates the circular knife Q, journaled in the slot 71..

Mounted upon the plate I. is the apparatus for conveying the stalk tothe rack. It consists of two uprights R R, having a trough Sintermediate thereof at the base, which supports the butt of the stalkafter it, has left IOC the knife. This trough is provided with aspring-actuated arm 25, which is secured in the side of the trough, alsowith a trip-arm M, which is pivoted in the side of the trough and isheld normally across the trough by a coiled spring. It will thus be seenthat as the stalk is carried through the trough its lower end will bebrought in contact with the spring-actuated arm, which serves as aguide. The object of having this arm spring-actuated is to prevent thestalks from becoming jammed, and thereby stopping the passageway, alsoto hold the stalks sufficiently tight to cause them to fall slowly whentripped by the trip-bar it, which is provided witha coiled springadapted to control the trip and to make its operation more gradual. Theuprights are provided with upper and lower guide-rails T T and U U. Eachof the upper guide-rails has rearWardly-extendiug curved rods forguiding the stalk into the rack.

Mounted upon each of the upper guiderails are pulleys it, connected bybelts Z, which are provided with lugs m, adapted to grasp the stalk,force it in contact with the knife, and then carry it back to the rack.These pulleys and belts are operated by a shaft V, journaled on theouter guide-rails and provided with a bevel-cog n, adapted to mesh withand to be driven by the beveled cog O. This shaft is provided withpulleys 0, which are connected by belts p to the pulleys q, mountedbeneath the outer guide-rails on the same shaft that supports thepulleys 7c in the forward ends of the rails.

The cutter-frame of the machine and the con veycrs are raised or loweredto the desired position by the levers W W, connected by belts r 0",which pass over guides s s, mounted on the frame, to the arm X, securedto the plate H or formed as a part thereof.

It will be obvious that various changes in the form, proportion, andminor details of construction may be resorted to without departing fromthe spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a corn-harvester, the combination of two wheels keyed to an axle,of a frame supported by the axle and a colter-wheel, of two shaftsjournaled on the said frame, the said shafts having cogs on theirforward ends meshing with semicircular cogs on a lever, of the rear endsof the shafts forming a rack, of cutter-frames and conveyers mountedupon the axle on each side of the first-mentioned frame, and levers forraising or lowering the said cutter-frames,substantially as shown anddescribed.

2. In a corn-harvester, a combination of two wheels keyed to an axle, aframe supported by the axle and a colter-wheel, shafts journaled uponthe said frame, said shafts carrying racks and means for operating thesame, cutter-frames mounted upon the axle one upon each side of thefirst-mentioned frame, the said cutter-frames consisting of blocks eachhaving a slot therein, plates pivoted in the slots, springs normallyholding the plates in line with the said blocks, the slots in the platesregistering with the slots in the blocks, notches in the free ends ofthe plates, knives Working in connection with the said notches and aseries of gear-wheels journaled in the said slots adapted to be drivenby gears upon the axle, and to drive the knife, and conveyers mountedupon the said cutterframes, substantially as shown and described.

3. In a corn-harvester, the combination of two wheels keyed to an axle,a frame supported by the said axle and a colter-wheel, shafts journaledupon the said frame said shafts carrying racks and means for operatingthe same, cutter-frames mounted upon the axle, one upon each sideof thefirst-mentioned frame, the said cutter-frames each consisting of twoparts pivoted together, a train of gearing and a knife mounted in eachcutter-frame, conveyers mounted upon the said cutter-frame the saidconveyers comprising troughs having uprights upon each side thereof,supporting guide-rails, pulleys mounted upon each end of the saidguide-rails and connected by belts having lugs thereon, means fordriving the pulleys, automatic trips arranged within the troughs, andcurved guiderods upon the rear ends of the guide-rails,

substantially as shown and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereuntoaffixed my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

HARRY HAMMOND BOWERMAN.

Witnesses:

WM. L. F. KING, PATRICK H. OFARRELL.

